The 5 Best Chinese Phones You Can’t Buy In The US

We may receive a commission on purchases made from links.

Can you buy a Xiaomi or Redmagic phone in the U.S.? The short answer is yes, although not directly from the manufacturer or a general retail store. They’re two of several Chinese brands that put out wild innovations and solid hardware that knock well-known western flagship devices off their pedestal. Buyers will also probably save a few bucks when compared to the same specs released by a big name brand. A couple reasons for this are smaller brands avoiding where Apple products sell the most, and individual bans on the likes of Huawei.

Buyers can still get their hands on them via importing, which can be done at a premium, with some handsets having trouble updating and getting firmware updates in the west. Most of these handsets are running variants of Android, with Huawei running its own proprietary operating system, but the performance to cost ratio is still off the charts.

So yes, you can buy phones from China. There’s specific services to do so thanks to Giztop and Wonda Mobile, which is where I’ll be getting my pricing details at the time of writing this article. Giztop currently rates at 4/5 stars on Trustpilot, with Wondamobile rated at 4.7/5, saving any headaches trying to navigate foreign stores and auction sites without getting stung for import duties. There’s flagships, folding, gaming, and budget handsets that will suit any budget, so let’s get straight into it.

Looking for a flagship with a dedicated Leica camera and six years of security updates? Xiaomi 17 Ultra is a beast of a smartphone overall, but its camera array is stacked. It packs a 1-inch sensor as the primary video and photo taker, 50-MP ultrawide, 200-MP telephoto with 3.2X to 4.3X optical zoom, and a 50-MP selfie front camera. 

Its specifications are all-round fantastic too, which knock the iPhone 17 out of the park in the base model Xiaomi 17, not to mention the Ultra model. A 6.73-inch 120-Hz LTPO OLED screen, Snapdragon Elite Gen 5, 16 GB of RAM, 512 GB / 1 TB storage, 6,000 mAh battery, and is IP68/IP69 rated. IP stands for ingress protection, with IP68 being dust tight and water proof to a point. Xiaomi 17 Ultra will survive spills, but that doesn’t mean it’ll do well in a swimming pool for prolonged periods.

Despite solid hardware packed in, Hyper OS, Xiaomi’s Android variant, comes bloated out of the box, and the camera bump is huge, but a good phone case and taking some time to uninstall anything not needed will go a long way. The cheapest price for importing a Xiaomi 17 Ultra at the time of writing is $1,119 for the Green 16 GB / 512 GB model, which drops to $999 for the 12 GB / 512 GB on Giztop.

Honor really made an all-rounder with the Magic 8 Pro that offers more value for money than the Xiaomi 17 Ultra. For those wanting less friction with their operating system, Magic OS 10 (Android 16) is clean while packing Honor AI features. The camera holds up too with a 50 MP main camera, 200 MP telephoto with 3.7x optical zoom, and a 50 MP selfie front camera all backed up by strong low-light and image stabilization features.

Specifications wise, the Honor Magic 8 Pro packs a 6.71-inch 120 Hz LTPO OLED screen, Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 SoC, 16GB RAM, 512GB storage, and a generous 6,270 mAh silicon-carbon battery that supports 100W wired and 80W wireless charging. Honor also backs it with seven years of Android and security updates, and allows Google Gemini functionality while featuring a dedicated AI button.

The Honor Magic 8 Pro can be imported through Giztop for as low as $799 for the white 12 GB RAM 512 GB storage model, with the 16GB RAM / 512 GB model costing an extra $200. Personally, I can’t justify paying $200 for 4 GB RAM, and 12 GB RAM is more than enough for a smartphone. Bear in mind that this is nearly the same specifications as the Xiaomi 17 Ultra, but for $200 less. 

The one problem foldable phones have suffered from since launching is that they’re too chunky. Enter the Honor Magic V6, measuring 4.1 mm when open and 8.8 mm closed. Both screens are OLED and support 1.07 billion colors, with an outer screen of 6.52-inches, and the inner panel a massive 7.95 inches. Cameras are usually the Achilles heel of foldable phones, but the Honor Magic V6 rocks a 50 MP main camera, 64 MP 3x optical zoom telephoto lens, and a 50 MP ultrawide lens. Not the best in comparison to flagship handsets, but great by foldable standards.

The specifications are decent too, being powered by a Snapdragon 8 Elite, 12 or 16 GB RAM, 256 GB to 1 TB of storage, and a silicon carbon 6,660mAh battery capable of running the inner screen for 24 hours. Buyers will also benefit from Honor’s commitment to seven years of security and Android updates, via Honor’s specific flavor of Android 16, Magic OS 10.

The Honor Magic V6 is available for import via Giztop starting at $1,499 for the 12 GB / 256 GB model in black, $1,699 for the 12 GB / 512 GB, which isn’t worth an extra $200, $1,799 for the 16 GB / 512 GB model, and $1,999 for the 16 GB / 1 TB version. Personally, I’d be looking at the base model for $1,499. Paying more than that really isn’t worth it for small storage and performance gains.

The Redmagic 11S Pro is a niche phone for gamers that demand high performance. This is for users who want to run emulators, play the latest mobile titles, and don’t care about top quality photography features. This is my kind of phone, plus the camera isn’t exactly a potato with a 50 MP main camera, a OIS + 50 MP ultra-wide lens, and a 16MP front camera.

The SoC in this phone is a beast, specifically a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 with a Redmagic RedCore R4, and Energy Cube 3.0. RedCore R4 is a dedicated game co-processor, and Energy Cube 3.0 is a software and hardware optimization engine that maximizes speed, graphics, and battery life. Its cooling is a liquid-metal vapor chamber backed up by a 24,000 RPM turbo fan, so there’s no worries about having a red-hot smartphone trying to get Switch emulation to work. The battery is a massive 7,500 mAh battery that supports 80W wired and wireless fast-charging. More than enough power to run its dual speakers, 4D haptics and 520Hz shoulder triggers.

I’ve managed to find the 12  GB / 256 GB Redmagic 11S Pro for $989 on Giztop in Silver, but consider the older Red Magic 11 Pro for about $20 more with 16 GB RAM and 512 GB storage. Considering the Pro is more of a product refresh than an upgrade, I’d be inclined to go with this option.

Looking for a capable budget phone that doesn’t compromise? Poco X8 Pro has amazing value for money, including a capable camera. A 50 MP main, 8-MP ultrawide, and a 20 MP selfie front facing camera to be exact. It’s not great, nor is it bad, it’s just capable. 

Here’s where the value aspect comes in; The Poco X8 Pro features a 1.5k 6.59-inch 120 HZ AMOLED screen, a MediaTek Dimensity 8500 Ultra SoC, 8 or 12 GB RAM, 256 GB or 512 GB of storage, and a respectable 6,500 mAh battery that supports 100w charging. Sadly it doesn’t support wireless charging, but that’s a small sacrifice for the price.

Buyers will get a more respectable support path compared to other budget handsets from big brands. Specifically four Android upgrades and six years of security updates, which is great news. I struggled to find the Poco X8 Pro for sale on Giztop and Wonda Mobile, but there’s plenty of sellers to choose from on eBay. The 8 GB / 256 GB model is going for roughly $450, with the 12 GB / 512 GB model coming in at around $600. I’d to for the cheaper alternative, as frankly there’s better preowned old flagships to purchase at this price, such as a Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra for around $650.

I initially focused on “where can you buy a Chinese phone?”, which led me to  sellers and websites with solid positive reviews on Trustpilot, resulting in Giztop, Wonda Mobile, and eBay, but it’s a very wise idea to buy from reputable sellers with perfect feedback. Scams are real. I also use AliExpress for replacement parts for games consoles and smartphones, but again check out sellers before committing to a purchase. Said sellers and websites are also going to take their cut, usually around $100 to $250. Smartphones are usually tariff-exempt, but buyers can still catch an MPF of around 0.35%, and there’s also shipping costs to consider. All this will vary depending on the seller or website, so make sure to get the full picture beforehand.

It’s also good to note the difference between global and China-only models. Global versions carry Google services, wider bands, and better language support. China-only models mean a Chinese OS, no Android services such as Android Auto and Google Gemini, a reduced warranty, and that they might not support some bands used in the U.S.. Long story short, buy global.

Finally, there’s no evidence that Chinese phones ship with spyware, but I would avoid any off-brand, used, or open-box phones. Stick to recognizable names like the ones mentioned here alongside Fairphone, Oppo (specifically the 14 Pro+), and Realme. Huawei are another good brand, but they’re banned in the U.S., and run HarmonyOS and not Android, a dealbreaker for some.